"Readers will find themselves inexorably drawn toward the book’s explosive conclusion. Readers looking for a clear-cut resolution to the story’s narrative will find that, despite some truths being exposed, there are no easy answers here. But this particular storytelling decision helps give the book that much more of a suspenseful draw."

Don Nobel reviewed Wolf's Revenge: "Smith’s novels have been described as Russian Doll mysteries -- one problem solved, another revealed. In its complexity, “Wolf’s Revenge” might remind a reader of a John le Carré novel; few are who they seem to be. Spies and double agents abound. This novel has action, some violence, but its real strengths are its intricacy and some rather dispiriting revelations about our criminal justice system."

"WOLF’S REVENGE is the best installment of the series to date. Smith’s ongoing brooding take on San Francisco’s seedier streets is darkly attractive, with the walking flotsam and jetsam occupying it, serving as quick but effective cautionary tales about the evils of bad companions and choices."

"Smith again puts Leo Maxwell through the wringer in his superlative fifth mystery featuring the San Francisco attorney (after 2016’s Panther’s Prey). Newcomers are brought up to speed quickly with Leo’s complex backstory, which includes his discovery of his mother’s bloody corpse, his long-held belief that his father, Lawrence, was responsible for her murder, and the near-fatal shooting of his older brother, Teddy, a prominent defense lawyer. Despite his father’s exoneration, life hasn’t eased up for Leo. He’s beholden to a crafty biker drug lord, Bo Wilder, who manages to wield significant power from prison, arranging the killing of an ex-con who was about to testify that Lawrence murdered his wife. While Leo struggles to find a way out from under Wilder’s thumb, he must defend a client who doesn’t deny shooting the man whose murder she has been charged with. Operating at the top of his game, Smith is as good as anyone writing today at combining a mystery with the overlay of existential dread that noir fans relish."

Mystery Scene reviewed Panther's Prey: "Smith’s prose is smart and stylish. The central mystery is breathtakingly complex; feints, twists, double crosses, and red herrings abound. And what at the outset feels like a highbrow procedural settles into the rhythms of a gritty detective novel after just a few chapters. Leo transitions from courtroom gladiator to down-on-his luck gumshoe without breaking stride, and legal proceedings and law offices quickly give way to blackmail, beatdowns, and seedy hotel rooms. The result is an intricately plotted, adrenaline-fueled tale that intrigues from page one, and ends with an epilogue that will leave fans hungering for Leo’s next misadventure."

Joe Hartlaub's review of Panther's Prey: "PANTHER’S PREY is the fourth book starring Smith’s ill-beset but steadfast San Francisco attorney and is by far the best installment in the series, even surpassing BEAR IS BROKEN, the award-winning opening volume. It is a bit darker yet more laser-focused than Smith’s previous work,.."

Killer Nashville Review of the Day: "The novel is a thickly layered, old-fashioned gumshoe mystery in which everyone has a motive for murder and a secret to be revealed that could help Maxwell solve his most personal case yet ... Like a work by Queen, it’s a riveting mystery fraught with peril for our hero, and twists at every turn. The narrative moves at a swift pace, with plenty of action thrown in to keep the pages turning. An attorney himself, Smith uses his expertise in the courtroom to craft a believable and twist-filled plot: the thoughtful execution of clues and Maxwell’s persistence to learn the truth that will keep you guessing."

The fourth Leo Maxwell legal thriller starts on a high note: Maxwell and his partner at the San Francisco public defender's office, Jordan Walker, secure an acquittal for an accused rapist, Randall Rodriguez, a man whose history of confessing to crimes he didn't commit convinced Leo and Jordan that he was innocent. Soon after, though, Jordan is raped and murdered, and Rodriguez confesses to the crime. Leo believes he's innocent again, but his bosses order him not to assist in the man's defense. Leo takes a leave of absence, vowing to pursue the investigation on his own time; he has his own theory about Jordan's murder, but can he prove it? Or will Leo himself wind up fingered for the crime? Gripping, dramatically written, and very suspenseful, this novel will have strong appeal for legal-thriller fans, especially followers of John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

"Fans of Scott Turow will relish Smith’s outstanding fourth Russian nesting doll of a whodunit featuring San Francisco lawyer Leo Maxwell (after 2015’s Fox Is Framed). Leo, who has left private practice to take a job in the public defender’s office, is representing Randall Rodriguez, who “has spent his adult life on the street, in mental hospitals, or in jail.” He also has a record of confessing to crimes he didn’t commit. Despite Rodriguez’s confession of rape in the present case, Leo and his hardworking cocounsel, Jordan Walker, succeed in getting the jury to acquit after providing expert testimony as to why he would admit to something he didn’t do. Leo and Jordan sleep together after the triumph, but the relationship proves short-lived. One night in bed, Jordan receives a text message and kicks Leo out. Three days later, he finds her battered corpse in her apartment, with evidence implicating Rodriguez. The plotting is impeccable, and Smith adds even more layers to his complex lead, while creating a San Francisco as morally ambiguous as Turow’s Kindle County."